With body shops placing greater emphasis on obtaining OEM certifications, collision repairers can feel overwhelmed when deciding which program is the best fit for their facility. Those who are already OEM certified may find it challenging to manage the programs they are part of. At the same time, shops often manually collect the information, while trying to complete time-consuming reporting with valuable resources.
“This can be highly inefficient and costly,” said Gabriel Morley, vice president of DEKRA North America.
Morley said DEKRA was committed to finding a solution to address the challenges of pursuing OEM certification. Working with its partners and the industry, the company created DEKRA QCARE (Quality Compliance and Risk Evaluation).
The cloud-based platform was designed to assist independent repairers and MSOs in proactively streamlining the management of their assets and certified networks. Morley said QCARE connects OEMs, repairers and other valuable third-party partners.
“QCARE can help with holistic network management, facility and asset management, mergers and acquisitions, and OEM certification and compliance,” explained Morley. “It also was designed to leverage the ability to track compliance against both internal and external standards, streamline asset and training management and enhance an organization’s field operations.
Morley said the product aligns with DEKRA’s core values around safety and standards.
“As a safety and standards company, we leveraged our expertise to bring more real-time verification and processes to our partners and provide an opportunity to repurpose important resources like valuable team members who spent a lot of time with spreadsheets trying to stay compliant,” he said.
Whether it’s an independent shop owner deciding which program is the best fit or an MSO that needs traceability throughout two to 2,000 shops, Morley said QCARE brings everyone together so less time is spent on managing program participation and more time can be dedicated to customers and proper repairs.
“Challenges with redundancy, cost and a lack of transparency and insight in the collision repair industry with the current way of administrating a certified network often make it hard for programs to scale,” said Morley. “There is also a level of liability for 364 days after a single yearly audit is complete.”
He said QCARE tracks and manages the critical elements that contribute to compliance, such as assets, tools, people and training. Features include connecting valuable industry partners, self-service capabilities to reduce costs and delays associated with traditional IT development, and the ability to improve operations. QCARE also provides customizable reports and configurable program tracking so that organizations can build upon QCARE’s functionality.
DEKRA was established in 1924 when an industrialist named Hugo Stinnes came up with the idea of creating a voluntary technical monitoring service for motor vehicles. The following year, the Deutsche Kraftfahrzeug-Überwachungs-Verein (German Motor Vehicle Monitoring Association) was founded and soon became known as “DEKRA.”
The company has grown to include about 49,000 employees worldwide and assists more than 500,000 customers in 60 countries on five continents.
Initially, Morley said attention was focused on technical safety, primarily in the automotive sector.
DEKRA has since expanded its activities into many diverse aspects of daily life “on the road, at work and at home,” all focused on safety.
For nearly 100 years, Morley said, DEKRA has been committed to ensuring people’s safety in all of life situations. What started in 1925 with the technical monitoring of motor vehicles today comprises a wide range of services, notably for inspecting, testing and certifying vehicles, products, processes and facilities, as well as initial and further training.
The company’s portfolio includes vehicle inspections, expert appraisal reports, industrial and building inspections, advisory, training and personnel management services, as well as testing and certification of analog and digital products and systems.
With more than 500 services offered, Morley said DEKRA assists in transforming sustainable management.
“Through the company’s commitment to cybersecurity and the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), DEKRA is helping to build trust in new technologies and to master the related challenges, such as future mobility,” noted Morley.
Morley said DEKRA has long supported OEMs in the testing and building of automobiles.
“Through this experience, the company has helped develop and verify OEM programs in collision, service and sales,” he explained. “Today, we provide various support from technology, audit and personnel services, as well as strategic consulting.”
Morley acknowledged that everyone’s business is different.
“As a result, the company has been cognizant of providing flexibility to QCARE and a feature-rich environment that can be adapted to many market variations,” he said. “However, solutions need to be affordable if we want to see adoption, so we’ve been very mindful of balancing cost with value.”
Working alongside its partners, DEKRA provides self-assessment opportunities to help clients make better-informed decisions about certification pursuit, repair quality improvement and shop operations.
Future goals include continuing to support partners with a strong foundation and expanding DEKRA’s connected industry partners, which include equipment, paint and distributors. In addition, Morley said DEKRA’s 2025 plans include helping to move certification programs from the expectations of tools and training to more qualitative standards and insights. Additionally, the company will shift its focus to incoming regulatory standards like supply chain risk management, environmental, and information security.
Morley will take part in a panel discussion focused on OEM Audit Tips/Tricks at 1:50 p.m. Nov. 6 at the SEMA Collision Repair Stage #32145, in South Upper Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Christian Ruecker, vice president of mobility sales at DEKRA North America, will take part in the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) IDEAS Collide Showcase from 2:30-4 p.m. Nov. 6. Ruecker will discuss “Sustainability’s Role in Every Layer of Collision Repair.”
For more information about DEKRA QCARE, email Gabriel Morley at gabriel.morley@dekra.com.
Stacey Phillips Ronak